Nigerian man deported despite torture protection order, now hiding in Togo
May 21, 2026·Location: Los Angeles, CA
Country of origin: Nigeria

Etinosa Osahon, a 49-year-old Nigerian lawful permanent resident who came to the U.S. in 2002, was granted protection under the Convention Against Torture in 2012 after an immigration judge found Nigerian officials had tortured him, tying him to a tree, beating him, hanging him from a ceiling and forcing him to stare at the sun. He lived in California with his U.S. citizen wife and three U.S. citizen children and complied with ICE supervision for 14 years. In May, he was detained by ICE at what he believed was a routine check-in at the agency's Los Angeles field office and deported through Ghana toward Nigeria. After Ghanaian officials said he would be sent on to Nigeria, he fled into hiding in neighboring Togo, where his attorneys say he has contracted malaria and lacks legal status or medical care. A federal judge found the government likely acted in "flagrant violation" of his due-process rights and its own regulations by removing him without revoking his supervision or torture protections, and ordered officials to disclose his location and detail steps to bring him back.
Timeline
Sources
- Judge slams ICE deportation of man tortured by his government
Newsweek·Aug 31, 2026
- thecable.ng
- Nigerian man arrested in US over fraud allegations
legit.ng·May 24, 2026·archived copy
- Nigerian National Etinosa Osahon Captured by ICE, Faces Deportation Over Theft & Fraud Charges
nigerianupdates.com·May 24, 2026·archived copy
- CourtListener
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